WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — House lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that would reinstate the “net neutrality” rules recently deleted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) but that could be the end of the line for the legislation.
Net neutrality requires that all content gets equal treatment and prevents internet service providers from slowing down some services and speeding up others.
Democratic lawmakers say the bill will “save the internet” while the FCC says the internet is doing just fine without regulation.
Congressman Mike Doyle, D-Pennsylvania, says for consumers, the internet is like the “wild west right now” after the Trump administration repealed net neutrality rules and didn’t replace them with anything.
“There’s nothing to stop an ISP from behaving badly,” Doyle said.
Doyle is the lead sponsor of the Save the Internet Act, which would restore protections for consumers online.
“No blocking, no throttling, no paid prioritization, but more importantly, we put a cop on the beat for future behavior that we don’t even know about yet,” he said. “No unjust, unreasonable or discriminatory behavior.”
Doyle says that’s what consumers want.
“They were horrified when the rules were thrown out,” Doyle added. “They didn’t want to go back to the days where ISP’s could do anything they wanted and consumers really had little recourse, so they wanted some rules restored.”
Congressman Joe Morelle, D-New York, says 86 percent of Americans oppose the FCC’s rollback of net neutrality protections. He said it harms “the ability of every American to experience the internet in the same way.”
House Republicans say the internet doesn’t need government regulation and Congress should just stay out of the way.
“If it is in need of saving, it’s certainly not in need of saving from this institution,” Congressman Rob Woodall, R-Georgia, said. “I oppose the legislation. I hope my other colleagues will as well.”
President Trump has already threatened to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
